It is a credit score to the San Antonio culinary scene’s development that this 12 months’s nominees for the Tastemaker Award for Chef of the 12 months are extra various than ever. We do not simply imply that there’s a wider number of faces but in addition that every potential winner approaches meals in singular methods. It is clearer than ever that the important thing to nice meals lies in biography.
We have solely touched the floor with our profiles under. Nonetheless, all are making Alamo Metropolis extra storied than ever. Eat at these chef’s eating places for the richer story, then be a part of us on April 4 once we reveal the winners on the Briscoe Museum. (There’s nonetheless some tickets accessible earlier than promoting out.) Within the meantime, atone for our particular editorial sequence profiling all of this 12 months’s nominees.
Listed here are the nominees for Chef of the 12 months:
Andrew Ho, Andrew Samia, and Sean Wen, Curry Boys BBQGrowing up in Houston, Ho and Wen have been engrossed in cross-cultural delicacies from an early age. First making a splash with Viet-Cajun seafood boils, the pair discovered new alchemy when teaming up with pitmaster Samia. Like Beyoncé, the trio is now exposing the bounds of style, producing deeply private fare. Name it fusion or Thai barbecue or make up a reputation; it is meals that refuses to be pigeonholed.
Berty Richter, LadinoRichter first appeared on the Texas radar display with an East Austin meals truck. It was clear then {that a} tiny area could not include his ambition. Now afforded a showstopping Pearl area, his goal is even larger. Ladino expresses a singular heritage, utilizing recipes handed down from generations. In an trade timid of innovation (can we lastly press pause on charred Brussels sprouts?), Richter boldly leads with POV.
Ceasar Zepeda, Sangria on the Burg, Saucy BirdsWhen Sangria on the Burg grew to become untenable, Zepeda switched gears to quick informal. However it was clear he would not throw the infant out with the bathwater. Although adopting a simplified menu at Saucy Birds, the chef remains to be proving his knack for cooking approachable, uncompromising fare. He stays the San Antonio restaurant scene’s consummate everyman.
Christopher Cullum, Cullum’s AttaboyCullum’s culinary training started by washing dishes at his father’s River Stroll jazz membership. The Touchdown’s unforced hospitality and classical fare left an indelible impression. With Attaboy, he stays dedicated to reviving a historical past earlier than meals have been eaten on dashboards and gimmickry grew to become extra vital than coherence. That perspective could also be out of time, nevertheless it’s additionally everlasting.
Diego Galicia & Rico Torres, MixtliThough Mexican fare discovered fast success in america, it hasn’t all the time been notably valued. Galicia and Torres have been amongst a vanguard of cooks calling for a reclamation. Closely researched and immaculately introduced, the pair honors pre-Hispanic and indigenous methods whereas bucking in opposition to a long time of racialized preconceptions. Within the course of, they rewrote guidelines for who’s allowed within the culinary dialog.
Emil Oliva, Leche de TigreOliva first developed a ardour for Peruvian fare at 12, when he moved from Texas to his father’s house nation. Returning to the Lone Star State in 2012, he introduced that love again. After paying his dues within the front-of-house of Costa Pacifica, Oliva began a sequence of pop-ups with no industrial cooking expertise. After a 12 months of tasting his standout brick-and-mortar, locals ought to really feel blessed he’s such a fast learner.
Francisco Estrada and Lizzeth Martinez, NacoThank the celebs for Idea Espresso Co. The lauded truck’s brews impressed Estrada and Martinez sufficient that they wished to supply a breakfast to match. Although the couple has branched out since these early days, they’ve remained devoted to enhancing San Antonio’s A.M. hours. Mexico Metropolis chilaquiles are enlivened with a deeply roasted sauce, and the unfussy tacos let each ingredient shine.
Jennifer Hwa Dobbertin, Greatest High quality DaughterSometimes, fine-dining cooks trouble themselves with cooking for different cooks. Dobbertin appears to be having an excessive amount of enjoyable. Whether or not making a Crunchwrap Supreme for Taco Bell or Korean corn cheese spring rolls for her Pearl restaurant, she by no means loses sight of the pleasure of consuming. These large concepts nonetheless impress jaded trade sorts with out snubbing the plenty.
Nicola Blaque, The Jerk ShackWhether riffing on Caribbean delicacies or celebrating her entrepreneurial forebears, Blaque’s meals is unapologetically Black. Even in 2024, that issues. For too lengthy, historical past has insisted {that a} Eurocentric outlook is crucial in creating “elevated” meals; She applies her classical coaching to creating the perfect model of conventional fare, arguing that the contributions of generations of girls are sufficient on their very own.
Sue Kim, MagpieA whirlwind within the kitchen, Kim reduce her tooth cooking in New Zealand, Southeast Asia, Los Angeles, and San Antonio’s dearly missed Minnie’s Tavern. All that globe-trotting knowledgeable the meals popping out of her East Facet bistro. Although rooted in world flavors, it does not have the cynicism of New American. As a substitute, it collects the perfect dishes worldwide, constructing Alamo Metropolis’s most awe-inspiring nest.
